Gun



A. DABRASKY Aug. 9, 1938.

GUN

Filed Feb. 4,

2.955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 9, 1938.

A. DABRASKY GUN Filed Feb. 4, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet` 2 InventurAucfustllahrasky Attm-ney Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES rarestorties GUN Application February 4, 1938, Serial No. 188,683

" 6 (jaime.V (c1. ssi- 37) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described hereinmay be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmentalpurposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

- This invention relates to a gun.

Because high speed aircraft is within the range of an antiaircraft gunfor only a short period of time it is necessary to develop a high rateof re to increase the probability of hitting the target. With a modern 3inch antiaircraft gun it is possible to load and fire at the rate offorty rounds per minute but the gun barrel becomes overheated and due toexpansion of the metal its movement in the cradle during recoil andcounterrecoil is interfered with and frequently prevented.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a gun barrel mounting whichwill allow for radial and longitudinal expansion of the barrel and whichwill enable the barrel to be cooled suiciently to insure itsreciprocation in the cradle while maintaining a maximum rate of fire.

A further object is to provide a mounting which will facilitate therapid and convenient removal and replacement of the gun barrel.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction,arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter andpointed out in the claims forming a part of this specication.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan View, partly in section, of a gun constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation with the cradle in section.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views, respectively in side elevation and in plan ofone of the rails.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of 40 Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views on the corresponding lines of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference there is shown acradle 5 which is provided with trunnions 6 whereby it is mounted in acarriage (not shown) for movement in elevation. The lower portion of thecradle which carries the recoil and counterrecoil mechanism has beenomitted. The cradle includes a pair of spaced, forwardly extending arms'I-'I whose lower sides are connected by a thin ribbed plate 8 to affordrigidity. The forward portion of the plate is formed with a plurality ofopenings 9 which in addition to reducing the weight serves to permitfree circulation of air. The front extremities of the arms are furtherstrengthened by anoverhead arcuate plate I0. The inner sides of the armsare each provided with a groove I I.

The gun which is to be mounted on the cradle comprises a breech ring I2and a barrel i3 whose rear end has an interrupted thread connection I4with the breech ring. A pair of similar rails iti-55, each includingwearing strips I6, are secured to the opposite sides of the breech ringby means of screws I'I and each rail has a lug I8 engageable in a recessin the breech ring. The rails are slidably mounted in the grooves Il ofthe cradle arm I and extend some distance in front of the arms to allowfor movement of the gun in recoil.

A supporting ring I9 disposed between the rails near their front endsand forwardly of the cradle arms 'I is formed with a pair of alignedlugs Ztl-20 each of which is received in a recess 2| in thecorresponding rail and secured by screws 22. The internal surface 23 ofthe ring I9 is rearwardly tapered (Fig. 6) and supports an expansionring 24 having a correspondingly tapered eX- ternal surface 25. The rearportion of the eX- pansion ring is formed with internal threads 25 whichengage threads 21 on the gun barrel and it is held in place by a setscrew 28. A plurality of arcuate grooves 29-29 are cut in the front andrear faces of the expansion ring.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the internal diameter ofthe supporting ring I9 is greater than the external diameter of allportions of the barrel in rear thereof so that it is possible to movethe barrel through the supporting ring. This construction facilitatesthe removal and replacement of barrels without disturbing the breechring I2 and the rails I5 and the connections of the breech ring to therecoil and counterrecoil mechanisms (not shown).

Since the rails I5 and the cradle arms I are spaced an appreciabledistance from the gun barrel I3 they do not become overheated duringring and prevent movement of the gun. The front support of the gunbarrel is at about its center, well forwardly of the cradle arms, andthe expansion ring is specially designed to minimize heat conduction.

Radial and longitudinal expansion of the gun barrel will be taken careof by the expansion ring 2'4 and its mounting in the supporting ring.

I claim:

1. In a gun, a cradle including a pair of arms each having a groove onits inner side, a breech ring within the cradle, a pair of rails on thebreech ring slidably mounted in the grooves of the cradle arms andextend-ing forwardly of said arms, a gun barrel detachably connected tothe breech ring and. spaced from the rails, a sup porting ring carriedby the rails and disposed forwardly of the cradle arms, said ring havinga rearwardly tapered internal surface, and an expansion ring carried bythe gun barrel and having, a rearwardly tapered external surface fittingin the supporting ring, the front and rear faces of-L pered internalsurface, and anexpansion. ring carriedk by the gun barrel and having arearwardly tapered external surface ittingk in the supporting ring.

3. In a gun, a cradle,` a breech-ring having a pair of rails slidablymountedA in the cradle, a gun barrel connected to the: breech ring andspaced from the rails, a supporting ring carried by the rails forwardlyof the cradle and having a rearwardly tapered internal surface, andanexpansion ring carried by the gun barrel and having a rearwardly taperedexternal surface fitting in the supporting ring.

4. In a gun, a cradle, a breech ring having a pair` of rails slidablymounted in the cradle, a gun barrel connected to the breech ring andspaced from the rails, a supporting ring carried by the rails forwardlyof the cradle and an expansion ring carried by the gun barrel andfitting in thesupporting ring.

5. Ina gun, a cradle, a breech ring having a pair of rails slidablymounted in the cradle, a gun barrel connected to the breech ring andspaced from the-rails; a supporting ring carried the Yrails and anexpansion ring carried by the gun barrel and fitting in the supportingring.

6I In a'gun, a cradle, a breech ring having a pair of rails slidablymounted in the cradle, a gun barrel detachably connected to the breechring, a supporting ring carried by the rails and having an internaldiameter greater than the external diameter of the gun barrell wherebythe barrel is movable through said ring, and a` ring carried by thebarrel and disposed in the supporting ring.

AUGUST DABRASKY.

